Agastache plant named ‘Blue Boa’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct form of  Agastache  plant characterized by deep purple blue flower, large inflorescences, a long bloom time, a stiffly upright, medium habit, and excellent vigor.

Botanical denomination: Agastache hybrid.

Variety designation: ‘Blue Boa’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofAgastache, given the name, ‘Blue Boa’. Agastache is in the familyLamiaceae. This new variety is a selection out of a breeding line usingAgastache rugosa as a parent to provide hardiness and wet soiltolerance. This seedling was selected for its deep purple blue color andgood habit. The exact parents are unknown.

Compared to Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’ and ‘Black Adder’, both unpatentedplants, the new cultivar has deeper purple blue flower color, widerflower spikes, and a shorter habit.

This plant exhibits the following characteristics that make it unique:

-   -   1. deep purple blue flower,    -   2. large inflorescences,    -   3. a long bloom time,    -   4. a stiffly upright, medium habit,    -   5. and excellent vigor.

The new variety has been reproduced only by asexual propagation (stemcuttings and micropropagation using apical buds and nodes). Each of theprogeny exhibits identical characteristics to the original plant.Asexual propagation by stem cuttings and micropropagation using apicalbuds and nodes as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that the foregoingcharacteristics and distinctions come true to form and are establishedand transmitted through succeeding propagations. The present inventionhas not been evaluated under all possible environmental conditions. Thephenotype may vary with variations in environment without a change inthe genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a bed of five-month-old Agastache ‘Blue Boa’ growing in thefield in late summer in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Agastache cultivarbased on observations of five-month-old specimens in mid July (plantedoutside in the ground in May from greenhouse grown plants) in Canby,Oreg. Canby is Zone 8 on the USDA Hardiness map. Temperatures range froma high of 95 degrees F. in August to an average of 32 degrees F. inJanuary. Normal rainfall in Canby is 42.8 inches per year. The colordescriptions are all based on The Royal Horticultural Society ColourChart, 5^(th) edition.

-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—Upright.        -   Type.—Herbaceous perennial.        -   Cold hardiness.—USDA Zone 6-10.        -   Size.—Grows to 45 cm wide and 66 cm tall to the top of the            flowers.        -   Vigor.—Excellent.        -   Branching.—About 8 main stems from the base, these branch at            every node.        -   Stem.—Square in cross section, grows to 8 mm wide and 44 cm            tall to the first flower, pubescent, internodes range from 2            to 10 cm long, Yellow Green 147B where herbaceous, where            woody Brown 200B.        -   Roots.—White 155B, fibrous, plants root easily from stem tip            cuttings.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Opposite.        -   Shape.—Ovate.        -   Venation.—Pinnate.        -   Margins.—Coarsely serrate.        -   Apex.—Acuminate.        -   Base.—Cordate.        -   Blade size.—Grows to 58 mm long and 40 mm wide.        -   Surface texture.—Pubescent on both sides.        -   Petiole description.—11 mm long and 1 mm wide, pubescent,            Yellow Green 147C tinted Greyed Purple 187B in sun.        -   Leaf color.—Top side closest to Green 137A, bottom side            closest to Yellow Green 147B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Type.—Terminal spike with 8 to 12 whorls.        -   Number of flowers.—Up to 600 per spike.        -   Size of inflorescence.—Grows to 16 cm tall and 4 cm wide.        -   Peduncle.—Grows to 9 cm tall and 2 mm wide, pubescent,            Yellow Green 147C tinted Greyed Purple 187A.        -   Pedicel.—Grows to 1 mm long, pubescent, Greyed Purple N187A.        -   Bloom period.—June through frost in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—14 mm long and 3 mm wide at the widest point prior to            opening.        -   Description.—Tubular.        -   Surface texture.—Pubescent.        -   Color.—Violet 83A.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Zygomorphic.        -   Shape.—Bilabiate, tubular.        -   Size.—20 mm long and 7 mm wide.        -   Corolla description.—15 mm long and spreads to 7 mm wide;            overall color outside Violet Blue 90A and inside Violet            N88A; glabrous inside and pubescent outside, tube 11 mm long            and 1 mm to 4 mm wide; 2 upper lobes joined 3 mm long and 2            mm wide, ovate, tips notched, margin entire; three lower            lobes, two spreading sideways and curve down slightly, each            1.5 mm long and 2 mm wide, tip obtuse, margin entire; bottom            lobe, reflexed, broadly obovate with the sides cupping            inward, notched at the tip, margin entire, 4 mm wide and 2            mm deep.        -   Calyx description.—Campanulate, 7 mm long and 3 mm wide,            pubescent outside and glabrous inside, 5 lobed, lobes ovate,            2.5 mm long, entire, acuminate, tube Greyed Purple N186C,            lobes Violet 83A.        -   Pistil description.—19 mm long, ovary 1.5 mm long, Yellow            Green 145D, style 17 mm long, Violet Blue 91A at the base to            90A below the stigma; stigma two-parted, 0.5 mm, Violet Blue            90A.        -   Stamen description.—4 in number, paired and exerted, top two            10 mm long and bottom two 8 mm long, filaments Violet Blue            90A, anthers 0.5 mm long, Violet 83A, pollen White NN155A in            a moderate amount.        -   Fragrance.—Light herbal.        -   Lastingness.—A spike blooms for about 3 weeks on the plant.-   Fruit/seed: 4 nutlets, 1 mm long, ovoid, Black 202A.-   Pests and diseases: Agastache are known to be susceptible to downy    mildew (Peronospora) and rust (Puccinia) in dry summer months. The    new cultivar has no known resistances but has shown no problems in    Canby, Oreg.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Agastache plant substantiallyas shown and described.